Dr. James Haywood Baker

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Former Orange Beach City Council member Dr. James Haywood Baker, 75, of Mentone, Alabama, died Dec. 18, 2016 after a brief illness.

A memorial service will be held at St. Joseph's on-the-Mountain Episcopal Church in Mentone on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 at 11 a.m., followed immediately by a luncheon for friends and family in the fellowship hall.

Dr. Baker was born in Opp, Alabama on June 7, 1941. He was a 1959 graduate of Opp High School, where he was known as a great sportsman in football and baseball and as a gentleman even in youth.

Following graduation from the University of Alabama in 1963 and the University of Alabama School of Dentistry in 1967, Dr. Baker served two years in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps, including a brief stint at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station.

Dr. Baker practiced private dentistry for eight years in Huntsville, Alabama, beginning in 1969, before becoming Chief of Dentistry at Searcy Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Alabama, from 1977 to 2000.

Dr. Baker and his wife, Margaret, lived in Orange Beach from 1986 to 2000, but he continued the lengthy commute to Mt. Vernon in order to enjoy beach living.

In February 2000, he and his wife traded life at the beach for life in the mountains when Dr. Baker acquired an Affordable Dentures practice in Albertville. He ran the practice for 15 years before retiring in June 2015.

During his time in Orange Beach, Dr. Baker was an active community member. He served on the Orange Beach Planning Commission and was elected to the City Council. He and his wife were charter members of St. Andrew by the Sea community church in Gulf Shores.

Over the last decade, Dr. Baker served on the University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences Leadership Board.

Dr. Baker was the family protector and beloved patriarch. He opened his heart and home regularly to abandoned cats, dogs, friends and family members.

An avid reader of newspapers (three to four a day) and lover of knowledge, Dr. Baker often served as a "personal Wikipedia" to those around him.

Selfless. Gentle-spirited. Determined. These are some of the ways his loved ones describe him. He treasured spending time with family and friends, being Paps/Papi to his grandchildren, cheering for the University of Alabama, working daily with his caring and committed staff, running errands with his yellow lab Milo and ensuring that his home was well stocked with quality paper products, Diet Coke and light ice cream.

Given his medical battles over the last decade, family would agree with a quote about a beloved sports analyst that also applies to Dr. Baker: "There's no person that I've ever met in my life who wanted to live more." His anecdotal Crimson Tide football knowledge will remain legendary. (Some suspect that the Tide would have secured their 17th national title had he been available to make his game day chili.)

Family will miss his correcting his wife's stories and adding witty details to conversations - often from another room - at his Mentone family retreat.

He inspired many family accompanied excursions to NYC, Chicago, Montreal, Denver and Miami, and holiday gatherings in Exuma, The Bahamas.

Dr. Baker was preceded in death by his parents, J. V. and Sarah Pittman Baker of Opp.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Margaret Riggs Baker of Mentone; son, James H. Baker II (Andrea) of Franklin, Tennessee; daughter, Suzanne Baker (Britt Cloud) of Atlanta, Georgia; grandchildren, Elizabeth Baker of Atlanta, Matthew Baker of Basking Ridge, New Jersey and Hayden Cloud of Atlanta; sister, Janice Greer of Santa Clarita, California; brother, Thomas Baker (Ann) of Castle Rock, Colorado; and a host of adored nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Tapestry Public Charter School, 3130 Raymond Dr., Atlanta, GA 30340 (tapestrycharter.org), or Atlanta Lab Rescue, P.O. Box 250206, Atlanta, GA 30325 (atlantalabrescue.com).